Savoring: Your Happiness Depends on it!

Savoring: Your Happiness Depends on it!

Ahhhhh… this moment.

The image above captures one of my favorite ways to savor life: art—ink and watercolor, in this case. When I sketch from a photo or a memory, I slip back into that moment. I see it. I feel it. I hear it. My heart skips a beat as I remember how I felt then, and I’m gifted the sweetness of reliving it all over again.

Have you ever been so wrapped up in a moment, a memory, or even a future anticipation that it completely captivates your senses? If you were to describe it, maybe you’d say, “I could stay here forever,” or “Remember that time…” or “I can’t wait to…”

That, my friend, is savoring.

In psychological terms, savoring is defined as “attending to, appreciating, and enhancing positive experiences that occur in one’s life.”
(Bryant, F. B., & Veroff, J. (2007). Savoring: A New Model of Positive Experience).

Savoring plays a powerful role in our well-being and happiness. When we revisit a positive experience from the past, our bodies often respond as if it’s happening all over again—recreating the emotions, the warmth, the joy.

Some beautiful benefits of savoring include:

  • Reducing stress

  • Increasing happiness

  • Promoting resilience

  • Strengthening relationships

  • Countering negative experiences and depressive symptoms

So let me ask you…

What’s a favorite memory you love to revisit?
What are you looking forward to right now?
What’s sitting quietly in front of you, waiting to be appreciated?

Ways to Practice Savoring

  • Think about it—picture it, relive it, plan it

  • Write it down

  • Draw or create it

  • Share it with someone

  • Take a photo 

  • Practice gratitude (you should definitely check out THIS blog!)

Savoring is a simple practice with expansive rewards. Give it a try, and you just might catch a little dose of happiness gently tapping you on the shoulder, reminding you to stay awhile.

~ Britnie 💜 ~

More on Savoring

 

Back to blog